Col. Matthew Chase assumes command of the St. Paul District

Photo By Patrick Moes | ST. PAUL, Minn. – Col. Matthew Chase, Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District commander, receives the Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District flag, from Maj. Gen. Kimberly Peeples, Mississippi Valley Division commander, during the change of command ceremony at the Union Depot in St. Paul, Minnesota, July 18. Chase assumed command of the district and became the district’s 68th commander and district engineer. He is now responsible for the district, which covers most of Minnesota, the western half of Wisconsin, the northeastern half of North Dakota and small portions of northeastern South Dakota and northeastern Iowa. It has missions in the areas of flood risk management, navigation, environmental management, regulation, disaster response and recreation.  

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES

07.17.2025

Story by Renwick Martin 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District

Col. Matthew B. Chase assumed command of the St. Paul District from Col. Eric Swenson July 18, becoming the district’s 68th commander and district engineer. The ceremony was presided over by Maj. Gen. Kimberly Peeples, Mississippi Valley Division commanding general.

Prior to assuming this command, Chase most recently served as the executive officer to the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

A Maryland native, Chase earned his commission from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 2002 and is an Army Corps of Engineers officer with over 23 years of service specializing in leadership, engineering and education. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from West Point; a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology; a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a Master of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the National War College.

The St. Paul District covers most of Minnesota, the western half of Wisconsin, the northeastern half of North Dakota and small portions of northeastern South Dakota and northeastern Iowa. It has missions in the areas of flood risk management, navigation, environmental management, regulation, disaster response and recreation.

The district traces its origins to 1866, when Congress authorized the Corps of Engineers to establish a 4-foot navigation channel on the Upper Mississippi River. Maj. Gouverneur K. Warren, a West Point graduate widely acclaimed for his leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg, was tasked with establishing the district and conducting preliminary surveys of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Warren arrived in St. Paul and opened the first district office in August 1866.

Swenson will become the Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division, deputy commander. The division is headquartered at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York.

• Date Taken: 07.17.2025
• Date Posted: 08.19.2025 09:52
• Story ID: 545927
• Location: ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US